


Familiar Strangers

by dadezra



Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 07:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13359771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadezra/pseuds/dadezra
Summary: You meet Spencer at the dog park.





	Familiar Strangers

It started 4 months ago at the beginning of May. It was finally warm enough to start taking longer walks in the evening. I figured it would do me good after being cramped in an office all day. I’d always taken the same route. Past the quaint coffee shop on the corner, moving away from the bustle of DC, over to my favorite park. Technically it was for dogs and their owners but I didn’t think I’d get in trouble for walking without a furry friend.

I had made a new friend though. Spencer Reid was a stranger to me back then but he’d always caught my eye. He looked so out of place against the usual crowd of sports bra wearing joggers and their golden retrievers running along side them. He was tall with long hair always tucked behind his ears. I came to notice he was never without a long scarf and a book in his hands. Sometimes when we’d cross paths, I’d sneak a peek at the cover tucked under his arm. Often they were in a different language and incredibly thick.

After weeks went by, I became used to his presence. We’d always walk past each other giving a nod, sometimes a quick smile and then we’d be on our way.

The day his eyes were glazed over with tears was the day I finally stopped him. “Are you okay?” I’d asked.

“Yeah, fine.” His voice was much different than I’d expected. It was raspy and cracked in the middle of the sentence. He avoided looking at me and hurried on ahead.

“Hey, wait up!” I turned and caught up to his long strides. “I’m (Y/N).”

“Spencer.” It was a fitting name for him. A name I associated with smartness. He looked smart. Little did I know then, that he was actually a genius. It was weird, we had never spoken before this moment but it was like we were already friends.

“You don’t have a book tonight.” I’d finally pointed out after minutes of silence. He only nodded, his puffy brown eyes fixed straight ahead.

“You usually do… last time it was The Narrative of John Smith right?” I asked quietly, trying to get some more words out of him. Spencer actually glanced over to me for the first time tonight.

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone… we find it with another.” He mumbled under his breath and a tear rolled down his cheek.

With that I led him to a bench beside us and he broke down next to me. His face was buried into his hands, shoulders heaving up and down with every sob. That night he told me everything. That he was apart of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI and that his girlfriend had been killed by one of their suspects.

That was 4 months ago. Tonight the sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the city skyline, the hot August breeze blew past as I made my way to the park. My cell buzzed with a text from my friend Spencer, informing me he was back from working a long case. My smile grows as I spot him on a bench up the hill.

“Hey there, doctor.” I reach for the drink his slender arm holds out to me.

“Chai, your favorite.” He grins, moving his bag so that I have room to sit. I watch him sip his own drink and I shake my head.

“What?” He laughs when he sees my expression.

“I’ll never understand how you drink so much coffee so late in the evening.”

He simply shrugs and gulps down more. That was just a Spencer thing.

I let my head rest on his shoulder and watch the giggling child in the meadow in front of us get licked by a playful puppy.

“How did the case go?”

“It was a rough one.” He admits while letting his arm drape over the back of the bench behind me. “A stalker turned serial murderer.”

“Wow…” I sigh. I couldn’t believe Spencer actually dealt with these incredibly disturbed people. You never would have guessed that was his job just looking at him. I certainly hadn’t when I’d first saw him. He’s seen horrors that most people couldn’t even imagine.

“You know, at least 75% of victims know their stalker in some way. Whether it be an ex or a co worker. This girl didn’t know her stalker at all. Just someone who saw her on the street and decided he couldn’t live without her.”

I shiver at the thought and he continues, “I really thought I’d be able to talk some sense into him. Just enough to get the gun from him… I couldn’t though.”

My mind immediately goes to Maeve. I know that’s what he’s thinking too.

“Both killed?” I whisper.

Spencer’s head rests on mine and I feel him nod. I knew that’s how Maeve had died, it must have been heartbreaking to have been in such a similar situation again. Instinctively, my hand reaches out for his and I rub my thumb over him, letting him know I understand.

More dogs run by with their owners, kids laugh with dripping ice cream cones, and pretty soon our drinks are empty. I pull my head from his shoulder and turn to Spencer.

“You okay?”

“Thanks to you, yes.” He pecks my cheek with a friendly kiss.


End file.
